EXCLUSIVE: Actor Gabriel Mann Talks 'Revenge'

Definitely not a show about forgiveness, ABC’s saucy new hit
Revenge is successfully quenching the insatiable appetites of fans that cannot
wait from week to week to see what could possibly be happening next in the
Hamptons. Speaking with Gabriel
Mann, who portrays the naughty-but-also-nice Nolan Ross, many questions were
asked and answered. Well, answered
to as much of a degree as he was allowed.

Mann says of his role as Nolan, “I’ve been given a goldmine
with this character.” Laughing he
adds, “If I crack up and can’t get through my lines during the table reads then
I know we have a winner.” In regards to reading the scripts, he says that he
constantly marvels at the brilliant dialogue. “I get to say that on network
television?”

With a restrained glance to the side and a unique
shake-shrug of the shoulder that only Mann can pull off, he conveys to his
audience the many facets of his complex character in a way that is both
charming and telling of just enough so that you are privy to the fact that there
is so much more to Nolan Ross than first meets the eye. Not always aware that he is even doing
this, he explains, “I’ve ingested him at this point.” Of creating a character, he adds, “You take the character
and you flesh it out. My job is to
find as much humanity within this eccentric guy. Who’s the guy behind this façade and what’s his driving
force?”

He says that as an actor you can choose to make the choices
clear or you can find those moments that are unclear and shine a light on them.
“We often have no answer which leaves the doors wide open. That’s where the excitement is because
anything can happen. You keep the
mystery alive and this is what makes acting so fun.”

With each episode they are taking a giant leap, one in which
they are left hoping that there is enough water to guarantee a safe
landing. Well, they do teeter on
the edge on Revenge, and it is because of this that audiences cannot wait to
come back for more. Of the
episodes, he tells me, “We just cannot shoot them fast enough!”

Set in the Hamptons, the audience follows as Amanda Clarke /
Emily Thorne (Emily VanCamp) avenges the death of her father. With each episode the characters roles
are slowly revealed to the audience like the layers of an onion. With the many
twists and turns, fans are constantly thrown for a loop as they wait to see if
that week’s episode will be a classic old-school with Emily and her red sharpie
crossing off yet another of her father’s enemies, or more of an episode
revolving around character development, hence shocking reveals.

Prior to RevengeMann was, as he says, a movie guy. His acting reel includes The Life of
David Gale, The Bourne Identity and The Bourne Supremacy, among others. “I’ve
played this character longer than any other,” he says explaining the many
differences of acting in film versus television. “In film you have to tell your
story in two hours or less. With television you get to build a character arc
without knowing where the story is going to go.” Though the thought of working in television at one point in
time may have caused him some trepidation, Mann now appreciates the
opportunities that it offers. “As
in life, we never know what is going to happen next. It is a very organic way to tell a story.” Early on in
filming he says that they were going on faith and having fun, but what has come
of it is as he calls it, “A really beautiful surprise.”

Hard to decipher whether Nolan is good or bad, or as most of
us, a little of both, Mann says, “Nolan is a study in contrast. He is
definitely every angle of ambiguity.” With a world of possibility open to him,
Mann cannot argue that this is an actor’s dream. “I’m hesitant to say he’s any
one thing or the other. He’s many
things and I would be bummed to find out that he was only one thing.” Unarguably,
this is a character not easily defined. A scene-stealer, his character serves
as the one true confidant for Emily.

Another beautiful surprise is just how broad the audience
is. “It’s really all over the map,” Mann tells me. He laughs as he gives an example
of a recent experience he had in the parking lot of Costco. “This guy is
driving by me in this monster truck and he’s yelling, but I am not quite sure
what he is saying." Thinking that
there might be some kind of trouble ahead, he is relieved when the guy yells
out to him that Revenge is his favorite show. “You’re Nolan Ross!”

Consistently pushing the boundaries, Mike Kelley (Creator,
Executive Producer) and Marty Bowen (Executive Producer) have created something
unique here. “Phillip Noyce (Salt) directed the first few episodes and he
really set the tone here that we were playing for real.” The feel is cinematic and they have, to
put it simply, nailed how to tell a story in a way that is both compelling and
addictive.

Explaining to me that they never get to see the episodes
until they air, they are just as surprised as the rest of us when they finally
get to see how their work has turned out.
“There are always those moments where I wonder if people are going to
feel this. ”The proof, as they say,
is in the pudding and fans cannot get enough.

A tight knit company of actors, they are as sad as anyone
when a character is killed off.
“We don’t like to see it happen, but we know it is a service to the
story, to the larger picture when it does.” Oh, the nature which drives serious
melodrama, we love it, we hate it, but we love it even more. “It would be disingenuous to do it any
other way.” As the story evolves,
Mann promises that the rollercoaster ride will have a payoff that will make it
all worthwhile.

So, speculation abounds that perhaps Emily’s father is
really alive. How they will leave
us hanging for season two is as much a mystery to Mann as to the rest of
us. Though the speculation is fun,
and hoping to get a morsel of what’s to come, all Mann would give me is that,
“As soon as people think they know where the story is going, it flips.” This I know all too well as I wait for
maybe just a tidbit. He gives me this, “Anything and everything is possible.
Unless you see a dead body on a gurney in the morgue, anything can happen.” Ok,
so is Daniel really dead? There
was a pause, then a laugh from Mann.
Well, it is apparent that we will all just have to keep on watching to
find out.